Isonitriles syntheses with

Hofmann isonitrile synthesis. Formation of isonitriles by the reaction of primary amines with chloroform in the presence of an alkali the odor of the isocyanide is a test for a primary amine. 

A similar cyclization procedure uses C-acylnitrilium ions for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds.55 A typical example treated isonitrile 107 with trimethylacetyl chloride to give 108.56 Subsequent treatment with Ag03SCF3 (silver trifluoromethanesulfonate) gave an intermediate C-acylnitrilium ion (109), which cyclized... 

This category consists of 5 conceivable basic reactions (see Figure 4). However only two of them comply with an isonitrile substructure. Introducing the suitable elements and substituents into these two basic reactions yields three possible specific reactions for an isonitrile synthesis. 

This reaction was first reported by Hofmann in 1868. It is the synthesis of isonitriles (also known as isocyanides) from primary amines and chloroform in the presence of alkali and is known as the Hofmann isonitrile synthesis, Hofmann carbylamine reaction, or Hofmann carbylamine synthesis. This reaction has been used to test the presence of primary amines from the order of isocyanides. Alternatively, the isonitriles can be prepared by means of the treatment of formamide of primary amines with toluenesulfonyl chloride" or phosphorus oxychloride (POCls)." Currently, the isonitriles have gained much attention in organic synthesis because of their application as versatile building blocks for heterocycles and in multicomponent reactions to generate combinatorial libraries, such as that in the Passerini reaction and Ugi reaction ... 

A proposal for the mechanism of the Fukuyama indole synthesis is proposed as shown below. Treatment of the isonitriles 1 with tributyltin hydride and a catalytic amount of AIBN, affords a-stannoimidoyl radical 2, followed by cyclization, to give radical 16. It was found that the substrates bearing radical-stabilizing groups at the P-position gave indoles 3 in excellent yield after tautomerization, and acidic workup. Similarly, when thioamide derivatives such as 2-alkenylthioanilide 18 are subjected to radical-initiating conditions, radical 5 or imidoyl radical species are formed, which then undergo radical cyclization to furnish 2,3-disubstiuted indoles 6. 

This photodriven benzannulation was used in the synthesis of indolocar-bazoles (Eq. 22) [96] and calphostins (Eq. 23) [97]. The thermal insertion of isonitriles into these same classes of carbenes provided a complementary approach to similar benzannulations [98-100]. Manganese alkoxycarbene complexes underwent both inter- [101] and intramolecular [102] photodriven benzannulation reactions with alkynes (Eqs. 24 and 25). 

The mechanism of the condensation in Part D probably involves thioformylation of the metallated isocyanoacetate followed by intramolecular 1,1-addition of the tautomeric enethiol to the isonitrile. This thi2izole synthesis is analogous to the formation of oxazoles from acylation of metallated isonitriles with acid chlorides or anhydrides. " Interestingly, ethyl formate does not react with isocyanoacetate under the conditions of this procedure. Ethyl and methyl isocyanoacetate have been prepared in a similar manner by dehydration of the corresponding N-formylglycine esters with phosgene and trichloromethyl chloroformate, respectively. The phosphoryl chloride method described here was provided to the submitters by Professor U. Schollkopf and is based on the procedure of Bohme and Fuchs. The preparation of O-ethyl thioformate in Part C was developed from a report by Ohno, Koi/.uma, and Tsuchihaski. " ... 

The synthesis of doubly bonded tin compounds by the coupling of stannylenes, however useful, is limited by the need for a stable stannylene and often a second divalent species (for example, a carbene or isonitrile). The simplest example of this reaction is the formation of tetrakis[bis(tri-methylsilyl)methyl]distannene from two molecules of the corresponding stannylene,83 with which it is in equilibrium in solution as evidenced by NMR spectroscopy.91... 

Isonitrile cyclization provides a useful alternative method of the Knorr type cyclization for pyrrole synthesis. In 1972, Leusen and coworkers reported pyrrole synthesis based on the reaction of tosylmethyl isocyanide (TosMIC) with electron-deficient alkenes (Eq. 10.12).15... 

Barton-Zard pyrrole synthesis is also applied to synthesis of pyrroles with a variety of substituents. Pyrroles substituted with long alkyl substituents at the 3 and 4 positions,30 pyrroles with P-CF3 (Eq. 10.26),31 3,4-diarypyrroles (Eq. 10.27),32 and pyrrole-2-phophonates (Eq. 10.28)33 are prepared in a similar manner based on isonitrile cyclization. 

A recent total synthesis of tubulysin U and V makes use of a one-pot, three-component reaction to form 2-acyloxymethylthiazoles <06AG(E)7235>. Treatment of isonitrile 25, Boc-protected Z-homovaline aldehyde 26, and thioacetic acid with boron trifluoride etherate gives a 3 1 mixture of two diastereomers 30. The reaction pathway involves transacylation of the initial adduct 27 to give thioamide 28. This amide is in equilibrium with its mercaptoimine tautomer 29, which undergoes intramolecular Michael addition followed by elimination of dimethylamine to afford thiazole 30. The major diastereomer serves as an intermediate in the synthesis of tubulysin U and V. 

The best results in the imidazole synthesis were obtained by microwave-assisted reaction of an eightfold excess of the polymer-supported isonitrile suspended in 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) with the appropriate amines. Cleavage with 50% trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane afforded the desired heterocyclic scaffolds in moderate yields. 

The synthetic utility of the carbonylation of zirconacycles was further enhanced by the development of a pair of selective procedures producing either ketones or alcohols [30] and has been extensively applied to the synthesis of cyclic ketones and alcohols, most extensively by Negishi [22—27,29—33,65,87,131—134], as detailed below in Section I.4.3.3.4. The preparation of unsaturated aldehydes by carbonylation with CO is not very satisfactory. The use of isonitriles in place of CO, however, has provided a useful alternative [135], and this has been applied to the synthesis of curacin A [125]. Another interesting variation is the cyanation of alkenes [136]. Further developments and a critical comparison with carbonylation using CO will be necessary before the isonitrile reaction can become widely useful. The relevant results are shown in Scheme 1.35. 

The synthesis of analogous iminoacyl complexes by isonitrile insertion into linear alkyl-zirconocene chlorides is also known. In an overall regiospecific hydrocyanation of alkenes, iminoacyls 21 derived from tBuNC or Me3SiCN (as the Me3SiNC isomer) may be treated with I2 to rapidly generate an imidoyl iodide and subsequently the nitrile 22 (Scheme 3.6) [22], Less hindered iminoacyl complexes (e. g. R = Bu, Cy) may be hydrolyzed to afford aldehydes 23 [23]. 

The potential power of Fukuyama s method is illustrated by the synthesis of biindolyl 168 which was used in a synthesis of indolocarbazoles [176]. The isonitriles (e.g., 167) are generally prepared by dehydration of the corresponding formamides with POCI3. 

Although the extraction of primary amines from a basic medium with chloroform is an inadvisable procedure, on account of the formation of trace amounts of the pungent isonitriles, the specific synthesis of isonitriles by the two-phase reaction of primary amines with chloroform is unreliable. However, the application of the phase-transfer technique [e.g. 1 -5] for the controlled release of dichlorocarbene facilitates the synthesis of isonitriles in relatively high yields (Table 7.12). 

Having established a very effective method for the synthesis of tricar-bonyl(T74-vinylketene)iron(0) complexes, Thomas has subsequently undertaken the most comprehensive study on the reactivity of these complexes to date. The reactions of 221 with phosphoramidate anions,90134 coordinating ligands such as phosphines3 and isonitriles,69,87,89,135,142,143 a variety of nucleophiles,86,89135142 phosphonoacetate anions,88,89 alkynes,108,109,144,145 and al-kenes146,147 have ah been investigated. Crucially, Thomas has also developed a method138 for the kinetic resolution of the vinylketene complexes (221) that ultimately yields enantiomerically pure samples of the complex. This... 

The linear macrocycle precursor 84 is formed in one step by Ugi reaction between tyrosamine-derived isonitrile 85, a-methylene acids 86, and simple aldehydes and amines (route A). This synthesis plan combines the generation of significant molecular complexity with a short synthetic sequence and several possibilities for variation. 

Rikimaru K, Yanagisawa A, Kan T, Fukuyama T (2004) A versatile synthesis of a-amino acid derivatives via the ugi four-component condensation with a novel convertible isonitrile. Synlett 1 41-44... 

---